The Internet Archive is on a mission to ensure that decades-old software isn’t lost to the vicissitudes of time — and that anyone can use it on the web for free. In October, that meant releasing a Javascript port of the extremely nimble MESS computer emulator, and 25 choice apps and games. This week, it means that nearly every Atari 2600, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, Magnavox Odyssey², and Astrocade game is now playable on the web. It’s part of the Internet Archive’s new Console Living Room section.
Play practically every game for five vintage consoles in your web browser
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
While the Internet Archive's Historical Software Collection is meant to highlight a small number of culturally important programs, the Console Living Room is slightly different in scope. It's only games, but it attempts to collect practically every game for these vintage consoles that would be playable. Curator Jason Scott tells The Verge that while it doesn't include homebrew or titles for obscure peripherals like the Atari Mindlink, the current library for these five machines is otherwise comprehensive to a fault. "A new generation of people are going to discover how horrible some of these games were," says Scott, half-jokingly.
The hope, though, is that users will relish the idea of having every cartridge for a new console at arm’s reach. Scott likens it to having a second Christmas morning.
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